Alf’s Seventh Bit

Did I 'ear it 'arf in a doze:
The Co-ops was a goin' somewhere,
Did I 'ear it while pickin' 'ops;
How they better start takin' care,

That the papers were gettin' together
And the larger stores were likewise
Considering something that would, as you
Might say, be a surprise

To the Co-ops, a echo or somethin'?
They tell me that branded goods
Don't get a discount like Mr. Selfridge
Of 25 per cent, on their ads., and the woods

Is where the Co-ops are goin' to,
And that Oxford Street site
Is not suited to co-operation
A sort of'Arab's dream in the night.

''We have plenty, so let it be.'
The example of these consumers in co-operation
Might cause thought and be therefore
A peril to Selfridge and the nation.